Clarissa Wei

3 weeks ago | nationalgeographic.com | Clarissa Wei

MSG’s reputation has been on the mend for years. Once blamed for dubious health concerns like headaches, numbness, and chest pains, the ingredient now appears in cocktails, cookies, and influencer pantry tours with growing pride. But MSG’s cultural redemption hasn’t happened in a vacuum. Ajinomoto—the world’s largest producer of monosodium glutamate, or MSG—has played a quiet but consistent role in reshaping how we think about the additive.

3 weeks ago | asianamericans.einnews.com | Clarissa Wei

MSG is making a comeback. But was it ever really that bad for you? For years, advertising and media connected the ingredient to “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” Here’s what led to the misconception—and how MSG is being reclaimed today. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is a common ingredient across Asian cuisines. But its history is riddled with false health claims and misinformation. Photograph by Penchan Pumila / Alamy Stock PhotoMSG’s reputation has been on the mend for years.

1 month ago | afar.com | Clarissa Wei

Fifteen minutes before noon in Taichung, Taiwan, a long line has formed along a narrow street. Couples lean into each other. Friends scroll absently through their phones. Toddlers wriggle against their mothers’ chests. No one talks much. They’re all in front of the same unmarked gray door, set next to a concrete wall, with Minimal printed in small, black letters beside a square logo. It could be a cocktail bar. A whispery omakase. A members-only lounge. At exactly noon, the door swings open.

1 month ago | nationalgeographic.com | Clarissa Wei

To many travelers, a trip to Taiwan begins and ends in Taipei, for its dense night markets and syrupy-sweet bubble tea. But beyond the capital’s crush of scooters and skyscrapers lies an island defined not just by its food, but by its astonishing biodiversity. More than half of Taiwan is forested with ecosystems ranging from subtropical jungle to alpine cedar groves. In just a few hours, you can drive from sunlit coastlines to mist-covered peaks.

2 months ago | monocle.com | Clarissa Wei

In Taiwan, breakfast can be a rushed affair. On the curb in front of a street-food vendor, you'll see scooters hastily parked as their riders, helmets still fastened, queue beside smart office workers and uniformed students, waiting for their turn to order. Now and then, a retiree or an idle auntie claims a low plastic stool, savouring their choice with unhurried ease. But for many, breakfast is eaten on the go as they sweep through the city.